This invention relates to a mechanism for preventing erroneous mounting and dismounting of a memory card on and from an apparatus having a memory card insertion hole, into which a memory card can be detachably inserted, and performing a predetermined processing to memory means of a memory card when the memory card is inserted into the memory card insertion hole to a predetermined position.
Memory cards using ICs as memory means are well known. In anapparatus used with such memory cards, a memory card usually can be detachably mounted.
In the prior art apparatus used with memory cards, however, data in the memory means of a memory card is liable to be destroyed when the memory card is withdrawn by mistake from a memory card insertion hole of the apparatus while the apparatus is performing a processing to the memory means of the memory card.
A mechanism for preventing erroneous mounting and dismounting a memory card is well known, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Disclosure (kokai) No. 59 (1984)-165284. In this mechanism, the surface of a housing of the apparatus used with memory cards is formed with a recess, which has an opening having the same plane area as that of a memory card and can accommodate the memory card. The housing is provided with a cover, which is rotatable between a closing position, at which the cover covers the opening of the recess, and an opening position, at which the cover opens the opening of the recess. On the bottom of the recess a connector to be electrically contacted with contacts of the memory card is provided, and a locking mechanism for holding the cover at its closing position moves a power source switch of the apparatus to its ON and OFF positions. More specifically, the power source switch is turned on when the locking mechanism is operated to hold the cover at its closing position, and is turned off when the locking mechanism is released to turn the cover to its opening position.
The prior art mechanism constructed as described above can surely solve the problems noted above that are caused by erroneously mounting and dismounting of a memory card. However, the memory card accommodation recess, which must have an opening having the same plane area as that of the memory card on the surface of the housing of the apparatus used with memory cards, disturbs compacting of the housing. In addition, operations for opening and closing the cover, which must be done prior to mounting or dismounting a memory card on or from the memory card accommodation recess and is independent of the mounting and dismounting operations of the memory cards, is cumbersome.